2014 FIFA World Cup: Will Brazil Be Ready?
Thursday, March 27th, 2014
Yesterday FIFA launched a glossy new campaign announcing the official 100 day countdown to the start of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The excitement for the World Cup is almost palatable as millions took to Twitter to celebrate the countdown using the hashtag #100DaysToGo. This is despite rumors of construction work on stadiums and facilities being seriously behind schedule.
Back in November 2013 a serious incident occurred during the construction of the Sao Paolo Arena Corinthians Stadium. Two construction workers were killed a numerous others injured when a crane collapsed. This was later followed by reports from the BBC in January 2014 that construction workers had spoken to journalists about receiving wages late. There was also concern from workers being under constant pressure to work faster in order to complete the projects on time- despite potential pay and safety issues. Some critics suggest that Brazil may not be ready for the World Cup, not just from a physical standpoint, but also political.
Although the world cup is almost guaranteed to benefit local economies, the question raised is – how long will this last? Concerns have grown that the stadiums will stand empty and unused after the World Cup has finished, crippling local economies with expensive maintenance costs. There was public outcry when figures were released detailing the governments £2.4 billion spend on the construction of sporting venues, despite much needed investment in the country’s public services.
Now the main topic of concern to FIFA is the on time completion of the football stadiums. FIFA’s secretary-general Jerome Valcke has stated that deadlines for completion have now been scrapped, and construction work is expected to continue until last minute.
FIFA hopes that public enthusiasm for the event and sportsmanship will take over despite the possibility of a half finished Brazilian World Cup. Since their 100 day countdown announcement they seem to be right, with fans sharing their excitement all over the globe. As the official match lineup has been released, bets are already being placed on potential winners.
The World Cup is set to kick off on the 12th June with an opening match of Brazil vs. Croatia.
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Read up on the latest world cup news and join in the countdown fun on the official FIFA website.
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